Blue Moon
by luna-saviour6
Summary: After Xemnas defeats him, Sairu, in a coma, experiences key events of his past over again, as well as his arrival in Radiant Garden as a baby, while his older self observes unseen. Something like a prequel, heavily implied OCxKairi, and OCxOC later on. Disclaimer: I do not own SE, KH or FF characters or locations, only OCs. And, this is for fun, NOT profit.
1. Chapter 1

Blue Moon

Chapter 1-End of time

It was not how it was supposed to be. These same words endlessly repeated themselves within Eraqus's head, his mind reeling from the shock and horror of losing a most cherished friend, and yet his thoughts were also focused upon the bundle he carried within his arms, the last survivor of the devastation he had borne witness to. Thankfully, the baby in question was silent right now, as Eraqus felt his heart would surely cave in when he would begin crying again. And yet, despite the heartbreak, he was also filled with a burning determination: fulfilling a promise he made years ago to the boy's parents, to protect their son if they were unable to for whatever reason. Even though he promised wholeheartedly, he was shaken to his core as the boy's parents would disappear one by one.

The boy's name was Sairu, who at this moment, began crying again, and just as he feared, Eraqus found himself crying as well, the tears refusing to cease cascading down his cheeks, but, just ahead of them, even with eyes blurred by the tears, he found himself where he had decided would be safe: the Mysterious Tower, home to his old friend and former Keyblade Master. The passageway through the Lanes Between had brought him to Yen Sid's study directly where the figure in question sat with a stern look upon his face, having predicted his friend's arrival, but not the circumstances to explain his arrival. The armour that Eraqus was wearing, predominantly bronze and silver over his arms, legs and chest area, with blue and dull green armour with the symbol of the Mark of Mastery upon his abdomen, and a helmet that was mostly silver with three long spikes at the sides and centre atop his head where a gold version of the same symbol rested on the centre of his face, then disappeared in a flash of light, revealing Eraqus in his regular attire, with the bundle safely in his arms and a peculiar-looking white sword mounted on his back.

Even though he was relieved to be in safe territory, Eraqus's tears still cascaded, bearing an expression of utter defeat. Yen Sid, with a face of a statue, took note of his friend's expression and offered him a consoling look as their eyes met. "Eraqus, my old friend, you have experienced a great tragedy concerning this child in your arms, am I wrong?" he stated bluntly yet caringly. Eraqus, however, seemed not to hear him as he stood there, violently shaking with a never-ending flow of tears streaking his face. Beginning to understand the repercussions of the tragedies he had witnessed, Yen Sid quickly conjured a white cot with a wave of his hands, where he, surprisingly considering his old age, swiftly approached Eraqus and gently eased the bundle from his arms and slowly lowered him into the cot as he returned to his crushed friend, who had fallen to his knees, as if to sink even deeper into the ground.

"Why...?" Eraqus then said weakly, still shedding tears as Yen Sid helped him to his feet, and guiding him to a white chair that stood opposite Yen Sid's desk, propping the strange sword against the desk. Once he sat down, he spoke weakly again "Why did this happen? How could it happen? My friend is gone... his father is lost forever" he said, his voice drowned in melancholy as he turned to face the wriggling Sairu in his cot. "Perhaps you should start from the beginning, Eraqus" Yen Sid spoke as he too took his seat. Eraqus then proceeded to wipe his tears away, regaining composure, and faced Yen Sid with a serious expression on his voice. "Betrayal..." he said the word with pure venom. "One of Getsuryu's subordinates, Drahcir, was secretly plotting to overthrow him, and used the opportunity in the death of Siaren to strike when he was most vulnerable. He even resorted to a pathetically underhanded tactic of using Sairu as an insurance policy, which sadly went according to plan in my absence, I regret to say."

"What's more, Drahcir had an accomplice: a man who acquired Getsuryu's secrets to time travel as part of the exchange. What this man can do with such a revered yet reviled art is simply unfathomable. However, having said that, Getsuryu never provided a description of this man before he disappeared to fend off a gargantuan Heartless: for his people... and his son. So, it appears this will be nothing more than a wild goose chase." Eraqus finished recounting the events that transpired, invoking a sense of horror in his friend across the desk, which was rare for Yen Sid as he absorbed the information Eraqus relayed. Eventually, as he assessed the information and then a theory came to mind, one which he hoped was wrong. "I may have an idea who is responsible, yet this greatly unsettles me. The only person I have ever known to demonstrate intrigue in such forces... is Master Xehanort" Yen Sid then spoke but almost regretted it when he saw the shocked expression that Eraqus now wore.

"Xehanort may be unpredictable and difficult to read, but even he could never be capable of such a tragedy" Eraqus countered. "Regardless, it is merely a hypothesis. Do not take it so literally, Eraqus. In the meantime, what are we to do with the boy?" Yen Sid then asked, as he and Eraqus directed their gaze towards the boy resting in the cradle. "That is obvious... I will look after him. I promised Getsuryu to protect him and that is what I will do" he spoke with determination, but he took note of Yen Sid's increasingly serious expression. "My friend, the fates are cruel, but you are aware, as am I, that that is not an option" Yen Sid spoke sternly, which alarmed Eraqus. "What? Yen Sid, you're forbidding me from raising the boy?!" he exclaimed, rising from his seat.

Yen Sid, however, was unfazed as he maintained eye contact with his old friend. "Far from it, Eraqus. But you are aware what being a Keyblade Master entails. You have only recently acquired two apprentices with whom you have to maintain a watchful eye; you need to connect with them and supervise their training, which takes many hours, which in turn takes many days. Raising a child requires an equal amount of time, time that you do not have. Perhaps if your responsibilities were fewer, I would not insist as I am right now" Yen Sid retaliated in a quiet yet serious voice. "I am aware of that! I would not have accepted this responsibility if I had not considered my options carefully. What's more, I promised. What kind of Keyblade Master does not respect the promises of their close friends? Tell me that, Yen Sid" Still, despite the challenge, Yen Sid remained sitting, arms crossed, eyeing Eraqus with his usual expression of severity.

"Then tell me, Eraqus: what kind of Keyblade Master abandons reason for the sake of promises made to those close to them? If the darkness were to appear at your doorstep, could you risk the sacred land in the name of a single child?" Hearing Yen Sid's counter-argument, Eraqus's protests were halted as he realised the full magnitude of his resolve: he realised if something were to happen to him, and his pupils were unable to take his place and fell against the darkness, his home, his pupils, and his friend's son... everything would be lost to darkness, just as Sairu had lost everything. As he fully considered this, a great anger awakened inside him: he wouldn't allow himself to feel the same pain that Sairu may come to experience in future.

"I see... you are right. I cannot allow my promise to interfere with training my pupils, so that they can protect the light, when I retire, and I can still take care of Sairu in time. Until then, he should be sent somewhere safe. Where should we send him?" he then asked, as Yen Sid closed his eyes in contemplation. After some time, he opened his eyes again and responded "The haven for light... Radiant Garden" Hearing this, Eraqus nodded, feeling at ease yet still feeling guilty for not fulfilling the promise himself for time. At this, he reached for the sword propped against the desk and placed it on the table in front of them with a look that said 'Don't forget this', and Yen Sid instantly understood this gesture, but he would become confused as Eraqus reached around his neck and pulled off the pendant around his neck to hold it in his hands to which it glowed a golden light in his hands before placing it on the desk with the blade.

"This pendant now bears a fragment of my heart, fuelled by my desire to protect him. Please ensure that he receives this and this sword when he is of the right age" Eraqus said, to which Yen Sid nodded. At this, the latter waved his hands, and in a flash of light, the blade and the pendant disappeared, whilst he held the baby Sairu in his arms as well. At this, Eraqus approached them, with an almost fatherly gaze in his eyes and a sad smile across his face as he raised his hand and affectionately stroked the boy's head one last time "Farewell, Sairu. I pray you will forgive me if and when you hear of this" With that, Eraqus's fist struck his midriff and in a burst of light, was covered in his armour once again, and with a wave of his hand, called his Keyblade to his hand and conjured another passage, giving one last nod to Yen Sid before he walked through the passage and disappeared. Following this, Yen Sid too took his departure in a pillar of blue light.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Radiant Garden. A world reputed for its literal title; on nearly every street, flowers of nearly every colour coalesced to paint a window sill all colours of the rainbow, a wonderful combination of nature and modern civilization. Despite the world order that inhabitants were not to be aware of the other worlds, a great number of people across them at one point or another have referred to a distant land that many described of them as paradise. Some actually left their world, via myriad ways, to either visit as a tourist or to establish a business; the most famous being the billionaire Scrooge McDuck, who established a highly popular ice-cream business, aided in part by the wizard Merlin, whose magic aided the townsfolk in desperate need, being able to fix nearly anything with his partner, a blond-haired man who was gruff on the outside but good-hearted on the inside, sporting his trademark goggles and toothpick in his mouth: Cid Highwind, the town's local mechanic, who had once been part of the palace guard as a spear-wielder, but was now retired, leaving the post to be taken by a newcomer, Dilan, so Cid could follow his true passions: mechanics and, surprisingly, caring for children.

As it stood, he currently had three orphaned children in his care, with Merlin serving as a tutor to each of them in turn: one boy and two girls. The boy was the eldest at about fifteen years of age with dark brown hair that reached to the back of his collar, his bangs parted to the right side, sporting a black V-neck T-shirt, wearing a silver pendant of a lion's head, with dark blue jeans, black combat boots, with cold, uncaring blue eyes, called Squall Leonhart. The eldest girl was truly a pretty one; she had long brown hair that she kept plaited, bound by two blue bands, with her bangs framing the sides of her heart-shaped face, dressed in a conservative short-sleeved white dress that reached to the base of her neck, wearing an assortment of silver bangles on each wrist, with silver-coloured sandals, Aerith Gainsborough at fourteen. The last of the girls was much younger, with shorter black hair, dressed in a sleeveless black T-shirt, wearing a silver headband with a plate of metal on her forehead, wearing grey shorts that reached to halfway down her thighs, sporting a white pair of trainers, the self-proclaimed 'Great Ninja' Yuffie Kisaragi, five years old.

It was the end of a peaceful day in Radiant Garden; it was half twelve at night, and while everyone else had retired to bed, Cid remained in his workshop in a back room that held a door to a garage for his larger scale projects, courtesy of Merlin's magic. Here he was tinkering with a damaged metal detector, for his client in the coming daybreak, and just as he had finished installing the last rivet, his hopes to retire to bed with satisfaction were dashed when there was a knock at the door, soft yet unyielding. As he approached and opened the door, his exasperated expression contorted into outrage at being pranked this late at night when he saw that no one was there. Just as he was about to close the door as he turned back, he saw a flash of white out of the corner of his eye and directed his gaze towards the ground. What he saw saddened him yet interested him at the same time.

On the ground by the doorway lay five objects. One was an unusual shaped golden pendant, a heart-like shape atop a cross, attached to black leather rope. Another was an impressive white blade, with a hand guard of a crescent moon shape with an identical shape attached to the black hilt via a small length of chain. The third object was a small white envelope addressed 'To whom it may concern'; another was a small cylinder-like shape, coloured beige-yellow. The last was not an object, but something that he had never expected: a baby wrapped tightly in a bundle of white blankets. Then, to his horror, the baby began to cry, and at this, Cid awkwardly bent down and tried gently yet hurriedly to soothe the baby in its arms, with success. As the baby calmed down, he then calmly laid it down on the sofa to collect the other objects and seeing no else around when he was finished, closed the door softly behind him and approached the envelope. As he opened it, he noted the cursive handwriting and began to read.

_To whom it may concern,_

_I apologise for any inconvenience that this sudden interruption will undoubtedly have caused you. But nonetheless, I pray you will understand when I explain as to why this has happened. As tragic as it may be to comprehend, the boy in question, Sairu he is called, is now sadly orphaned: the death of his mother from their birth, and the noble, heart-warming sacrifice of his father in order to protect him. _

_The reason however, that we have sent him to the Radiant Garden, is because my colleague, who protected the boy from the darkness to bring him to safety, and myself have a myriad of other responsibilities that require our immediate attention. So I sincerely ask of you, he/she who reads this letter to please give the boy your home for him to share, for he has no home to return to._

_Furthermore, the objects that came with young Sairu are to be passed on to him when he reaches an appropriate, though I would strongly recommend to keep the blade away until he is fairly older and wiser. I trust your discretion will ensure this, and again, I wish to express my regret for having to leave the life of such a young child in your hands. _

_With regards,_

_Yen Sid_


	2. Four years later

Chapter 2- Four years later

Another day in paradise for many of the citizens of the Radiant Garden, except for one. The now four year old Sairu, despite having been taken in so willingly into a stable and loving environment, had grown up into an almost unreadable child. He was an incredibly exuberant boy in the eyes of many, which seemed to put off the other children whenever he was taken to the park because of how loud he was, always trying to get people to notice him. Nevertheless, his loud exterior was merely a façade; because everyone steered clear of him, it only made him louder, which pushed people further away, a vicious cycle with no end in sight.

It was morning, and after getting dressed into a long-sleeved blue shirt, white shorts and grey trainers, Sairu walked downstairs to meet everyone for breakfast. As he sat down next to Aerith, who had especially taken it upon herself to look after him, Sairu set hopeful eyes at the other side of the table, trying to meet the eyes of a certain Squall, who was dressed in a black leather jacket with a ruffled white collar, black gloves, a white V-neck shirt sporting his signature lion pendant, and black trousers and combat boots to complete the getup; however, the latter merely gave him a brief yet cold stare, before returning to the newspaper beside his plate. Having seen this, Sairu could only lower his head in sadness, until an affectionate ruffle of his hair from Aerith lifted his spirits, if only for a time.

After eating breakfast, Aerith and Sairu headed for the park, where he saw all the other kids playing with each other whilst being watched by their parents, and seeing their good time, Aerith proceeded to pick some flowers to take home, leaving Sairu to himself. Despite everything, it _was a beautiful sunny day in this place perhaps best described as paradise. Flowers of varying colours grew out of every patch of soil, and all the children were in the playground, chasing each other over lush green grass or picking the flowers, laughing and playing with each other and their parents. This scene warms the hearts of many people, but there was an exception._

_Sairu could only find a spot to stand and stare on the outskirts of the playground, as a deep sadness threatened to entrap him, gazing at the joy all around him, a joy that he felt he would never become a part of. That is until, someone in particular caught his eye: a boy who stood in solitude not unlike himself, with indigo-grey hair with bangs draped over the right side of his face. He wore blue jeans, black sneakers, a long white coat with rolled up sleeves to show his hands and a black V-neck shirt. As he looked towards the boy, something within Sairu began to stir; a sort of magnetism found himself walking towards the other boy, until, to his surprise he was right behind the boy in question. Not sure what to say, Sairu could only meekly say "Hi there". This got the other boy's attention as he turned to face him, and in that instant, Sairu felt a sense of déjà vu: the boy's visible eye bore an expression of sadness and loneliness just like him._

_"Hello. I've seen you before, haven't I?" he spoke quietly, yet inquisitively. His formal approach took Sairu by surprise, but recovered and said "Yeah I guess. I saw you here on your own, and thought you wanted some company". Indigo then turned to face Sairu with suspicion in his gaze, catching Sairu off-guard again. "Tell me you aren't deceiving me. How do I know I can trust you?" he stated bluntly, watching Sairu warily. "Well... I wouldn't be talking to you if that were true, right?" he argued weakly. "Hey, where are your parents? Are they here?" he then asked, looking around until he noticed the growing sadness on Indigo's features. Realizing his error, Sairu hastily admitted "I'm sorry. Didn't mean to upset you-" but then he saw three boys approach, each with a look of sheer arrogance upon their face._

_The one in the middle was rather plump and round, with cropped black hair, cyan T-shirt and navy shorts and blue and grey trainers. A skinny boy stood on his left, wearing a yellow shirt under a navy blue jacket with two matching yellow stripes running down the sleeves and grey trousers with white and blue trainers; he also sported a dark grey bandana wrapped round his forehead, showing his spiked blonde hair. The last boy wore sunglasses, with a dark-grey long-sleeved T-shirt, maroon trousers and black trainers with unkempt brown hair; he too was slightly porky._

_"Look here, boys. Seems we got ourselves a double act: blue-haired weirdo with a red-haired freak" he quipped mockingly, his two thugs sniggering condescendingly at their joke. "Donny. What do you want?" Indigo replied, annoyance apparent in his voice, as the cyan-shirted boy sniggered in regards, then, surprisingly quick for his stature, he grabbed Indigo by the scruff of his neck and threw him to the ground. Sairu could only look on in horror as all this happened, and at this, gritted his teeth and turned to face Donny. "What's this? What's going on?" Sairu exclaimed angrily as he eyed the three boys. "Quiet!" Donny snapped and threw a punch at Sairu, hitting him in the chest, sending him to the ground, clutching his chest in pain. "Who said you can talk?" Donny stated authoritatively, looking down at Sairu in more ways than one. "Get Blue over there; Red here's not worth it" At this command, his flunkies approached Indigo and grabbed him by his arms, restraining him. Donny approached his victim, cracking his knuckles and standing right in front of him, struck blows into every available area of his upper body, even his face. _

_Seeing this, Sairu stood up again and then, to everyone's surprise, Sairu jumped on Donny's back, pushing him to the ground, and proceeded to wrestle each other until his flunkies rushed to help him and sent a punch into Sairu's chest again, forcing him to let go in order to breathe. As Donny rose to his feet, hatred blazing in his grey eyes, he then turned to face the indigo-haired boy and ran at him and despite his injuries, Sairu ran to catch up to him, and in the nick of time, stopped Donny's right arm from throwing a punch, which took Indigo by surprise. "Why...?" he asked, horrified. At this, Sairu turned to face him, smiling through the pain. "Because I think... you can trust me" and with that, with all his strength, Sairu pushed Donny to the ground. Seeing his resolve, Indigo's horror vanished with a look of confusion, and then, to himself, he smiled serenely._

_The sheer effort was too much for Sairu, as he dropped to his knees, panting. Donny's blazing hatred was far from extinguished as he rose to his feet again, and proceeded to Sairu, growling like a snarling beast, until... both boys noticed Indigo standing in front of Sairu, looking Donny directly in the eye, loathing meeting defiance between them. In the end, Donny simply turned away and gestured with his hand for his flunkies to follow but not before giving them one final glare. Sairu and Indigo were confused but took it in stride as they faced one another. Indigo then offered a hand to Sairu, who, with a beaming smile, accepted it as he rose to his feet. "You were right... You were someone I could trust. You're particularly strange but I like that" Indigo stated before "My name is Ienzo, and I wonder what yours is" The beaming smile still set, Sairu gleefully responded "I'm Sairu. What a cool name you got". "No, it's not, really" Ienzo replied sheepishly, both of them chuckling. _

"Are you alright? He punched you quite hard" Ienzo then asked looking over him. But before Sairu could respond, footsteps could be heard running towards them. Sairu saw it was Aerith, worry in her shimmering green eyes. As she quickly knelt down in front of Sairu, she saw the dirt on his clothes, and could see a bruise on the left side of his face. "Sairu, what happened? Are you OK? Was it him?" she hastily said, looking over him and then Ienzo with suspicion, the latter shaken by such an accusation. "Please wait, ma'am. I did not do this; the ones who did are gone now, but he helped me. I promise; it is the truth" Ienzo hastily argued, and turning to face Sairu, who nodded in confirmation, Aerith immediately understood "I'm sorry. Most kids don't usually bother him. I just thought-" but she was politely interrupted by Ienzo raising his hand "I understand; it did look suspicious. Is Sairu going to be alright?" he asked, concern evident in his visible eye. Aerith nodded as she turned her attention to Sairu and with a glowing palm, the bruise on Sairu's cheek vanished in a matter of seconds.

"It's time to go home, Sairu. I'll have to look you over for other injuries" Aerith then added sternly yet sweetly, to which Sairu reluctantly nodded. At this, he then noticed a man approaching them: a tall man with long, platinum-blonde hair, deep green eyes, dressed in a lab coat, a white collared shirt with a lavender ascot, black trousers and boots that reached his calves. His calculating eyes fell upon each of them present, with a somewhat severe expression as he noticed the state that Ienzo was in: ruffled hair and a soiled lab coat. "Ienzo, thank goodness I found you. We return to the castle immediately; you have some explaining to do in regards to this dishevelled state we have found you and this other boy in" he spoke bluntly. "Wait, Mr. Even. Before you say anything else, it was these other boys that did this to my friend here and myself. Sairu here was not responsible, I assure you" Ienzo swiftly yet calmly spoke, which caused Even to glance over Sairu once more, but merely returned his gaze to Ienzo and curtly nodded his head.

"Very well. I will give this friend of yours the benefit of the doubt. But let us ensure such incidents are not repeated in future; His Lordship will only grow ever more concerned" Even responded amicably, and gestured for Ienzo to follow. As they both took their leave, Ienzo turned to face Sairu one more time, smiling, and bid him farewell with a wave of his hand before running to catch up with Even again. After seeing this, Sairu couldn't help but give a genuine smile in their direction before being led home by Aerith.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that afternoon, Sairu, shirtless, was being examined by Aerith in his bedroom. She had discovered that his ribs on his left side had been bruised, thankfully, not broken, so her magic took care of that quickly. Thankfully, his injuries were quite minor overall, but it did evoke concern with Aerith. She worried if it were to continue and he wasn't ready to defend himself. After she finished treating his wounds, Sairu put his shirt back on and went back downstairs for his afternoon session with Merlin. Just as with Squall, Aerith and currently Yuffie, Merlin took it upon himself to serve as a tutor for the young Sairu, helping him learn to read and write, and being educated in mathematics, science and, only recently, magic, considering how young Sairu was.

Today, Merlin was teaching the boy to conjure a fireball at a target in a separate dimension, courtesy of his magic. However, it was apparent that Sairu would never become an expert in magic; no matter how hard he concentrated, he could only create one that was too big or too weak to cause damage. Thankfully, he seemed to perform to expectations in the academics Merlin put him through. After days of countless attempts, Sairu was making little progress with his fireball training; he still could not get a consistent shape for the fire itself. In the end, an exasperated Merlin called off the session earlier, which served to sadden Sairu but nonetheless, he was somewhat relieved it was finished.

After a quiet dinner, conversation not being much of a tradition amongst this 'family', an exhausted Sairu retired to bed, saddened by his inability to control the fireballs he tried to create, yet ecstatic at the thought of his new friend, Ienzo. As he lay there in deep thought, replaying his performance, the door to his bedroom opened and surprisingly, it was Squall who had come to see him. "Is something wrong?" Sairu asked cautiously, yet Squall's gaze was much softer than he was expecting. "Aerith mentioned what happened at the park today. You and a new friend were caught up in a fight, where you took more damage than those wretched boys" Squall explained as he came and sat on the bed next to Sairu. "I'm impressed you stood up for that boy... Ienzo, was it? But it's apparent that there's room for improvement" Seeing Sairu's confused expression, Squall sighed in exasperation and continued "Starting tomorrow, you will be training with me and another... friend of ours. We're going to train you into someone who can take those beatings in future... and to prepare you"

"Huh?" Sairu said, understanding the training part; in fact, a part of him was almost excited at being able to train with his idol, but he was confused at the last comment of 'preparing' him. Then, he noticed Squall reach into his jacket and pulled out an object: a golden pendant shaped like a straight-edged heart preached on top of some sort of cross, attached to a length of thin black rope. "This is for you. I spoke it over with everyone and we decided you can have this if you promise to train when and for as long as we say so. What we're doing is going to be hard work, but I think this training will suit you more than magic and really pay off in the end, but only if you put in the effort" Squall elucidated, with a small smile, much to Sairu's surprise, as he proceeded to gently place the pendant around Sairu's neck, Sairu all the while gobsmacked at what had occurred. "So what do you say?" Squall asked firmly yet kindly, to which Sairu could only nod his head, receiving a ruffle of his red hair from Squall before he got up and walked back to the door.

Before he left however, Squall turned to face him and said in a harsh voice "But... don't tell anyone about this little moment. I have a reputation to protect" he said as he turned the corner down the hallway. Sairu, meanwhile, could only grin at what he had seen: Squall being nice to him. With what just happened, the sadness of today's session was all but gone from his mind, the joy of meeting his new friend, and his idol, who was usually cold and stoic, was warm and affectionate to him. Sairu had never felt so happy, even as he felt fatigued, falling asleep not long after, there was still a smile set in place on his face. Unbeknownst to either Squall or Sairu, a certain girl had overheard everything; Aerith couldn't help but smile at the thought of those two finally bonding with one another before she returned downstairs.

"_Yeah... This day, was one of my most memorable. It was here that I began to connect with others for real. Back then, Squall was my idol; he was cold to me before, yet he was polite enough to us all the same. That air of confidence he emits made me want to grow closer to him. Either way, today was a major turning point for me: Squall began to take me seriously and see me for the first time, and it was when Ienzo and I became best friends. I thought we'd all be together forever."_

**A/N: Here's my second chapter; enjoy and please review! Just so you know, the Italic writing will be the thoughts of the elder Sairu, who is comatose after battling and losing to Xemnas. Normal font is, as you know already, the memories as the main essence of the story, to avoid confusion.**


	3. Training

Chapter 3- Training

The next morning, Sairu woke up feeling surprisingly rejuvenated, the euphoria of the previous day playing back in his head. As he arrived downstairs at the breakfast table, Squall gave him a quick wink, which Sairu returned with a smile, taking his seat between Aerith and Squall, who sat at the end of the table.

After another silent meal between them, Squall gestured for Sairu to follow him to a door that Sairu recognised as the passage to the training room where he practiced magic, only when he opened the door, he arrived somewhere different, most likely because of Merlin's magic. The room was rather simplistic: plain white walls, polished floorboards, a giant window that allowed the sunlight to penetrate the room and bathe them in its warm glow. Sairu also noticed propped against the walls on his left and right, wooden poles, wooden swords and wooden spears. "Hey, what is all this stuff?" Sairu asked, awestruck as he looked all around him. "This is a special training room, where I generally come to practice myself, but today, I'm going to train you" Squall explained as he stood facing Sairu as the door closed behind the latter.

"Ok. To start off... Sairu, start with at least 30 sit-ups right now" he spoke harshly, gazing at Sairu coldly. Sairu could only comply and proceeded to sit on the floor while Squall kneeled in front of him to hold his feet in place and with curt nod of his head, Sairu began. In three minutes, Sairu was finished but was already feeling the strain as he rose to his feet, sweat glistening down his face, taking ragged breaths. "I thought you could do better than that. Oh well, I guess it'll just have to be baby steps. Now that you're done with the warm-up, it's time I explained what I'm training you in" Squall stated, as he noticed Sairu's breathing return to normal as he stood up straight again. "All right. What I'm preparing you for... is swordsmanship" Squall stated, getting straight to the point as he approached the wooden weapons and retrieved two wooden swords, and passing one to Sairu, who surprisingly seemed able to hold it firmly in his hand, with not even the slightest uneasiness in his grip. Squall had to admit, he was impressed, but it took more than just holding a sword to fight.

"From what Merlin told me, you're not a natural magic user. You struggle to grasp even a simple fireball, and both he and I felt that, perhaps, if you can't use magic, then a sword might be more to your strengths. You're intelligent, but your body needs the same kind of stimulation as academics for your brain. What's more, there is one other thing we were asked to give to you when you were older. You're far too young right now for it; but the sooner I train you, the faster you can get it, I think. So, be prepared" And with explanations at an end, Squall brought up the wooden sword in both hands, holding it firmly and ran towards Sairu, proceeding to catch him off guard with a vertical strike down, but to his surprise, Sairu, while indeed caught off guard at first, blocked the attack with his own wooden sword, only for Squall to break the confrontation and go for a horizontal swing that Sairu failed to see in time.

If it hadn't been for holding himself back, Squall knew that attack would have caused Sairu great injury. But Sairu's side had been clipped by the attack, and his grip on his sword failed, as he staggered backwards. Squall, although knowing it was only the beginning, nonetheless had high hopes for him. "Come on. Pick it up and let's try again. You can't let yourself be caught off-guard" he spoke authoritatively, as he brought his wooden sword into a stance, ready to continue. Sairu could only give a small growl as he reached for his discarded sword and with both hands, brought the tip level with his head, and ran at Squall with everything he could muster, and went for an almighty uppercut, which Squall easily dodged until he noticed Sairu then bring the sword down again in a reverse of his last attack, which Squall, surprisingly, struggled to block for long until they stepped back, and then he noticed Sairu panting heavily until he fell back on his rear end, his legs wobbling like jelly.

Seeing this, Squall exhaled and relaxed his stance, approaching his 'student'. "You didn't do bad at all. There were some nice moves there, but how long you can keep it up, that's going to take time to get better. All right, we'll rest for a time. We'll be moving onto the next step: hand-to-hand combat, where that friend of ours comes in" After saying this, Sairu fell backwards and as his breathing slowed to its regular pace, he found himself drifting off. As he laid there, his eyes seeing nothing but darkness, he then noticed something in the distance: two figures, bathed in a pale light; one with rather chiselled features who had longer yet identically coloured hair and emerald green eyes, another with black hair tied in a high knot with grey eyes that seemed to examine him with concern, dressed in clothes that Sairu had never seen before. Both figures stood facing him with serene smiles on their faces. Sairu then noticed that they were turning away from him, walking away slowly. Sairu desperately tried to catch up with them, but his legs suddenly felt like lead, he was running so slowly he felt as if he was running through quicksand. Just as he raised his hand to try and reach the two men ahead of him, the light suddenly intensified and the next thing Sairu knew was that Squall was looking down at him, wearing a worried expression that transformed into relief.

"Sairu, you all right?" Squall asked, concerned for his well-being, as Sairu rose to a sitting position, groggily looking up at Squall. "Huh? Yeah. I must have fallen asleep or something. Sorry about that" he said apologetically. "It's alright. You probably needed it; you were out for a whole hour" Squall responded as he sat down, cross-legged with a picnic between him and Sairu: sandwiches with various fillings, different kinds of fruit and a jug of water with two cups, laid neatly between them. "Here. Before we get back to training, let's have something to eat. Aerith made all this while you were asleep" Squall explained, as he reached for a ham sandwich. Seeing the spread before him, Sairu's stomach suddenly rumbled, and he realised how hungry he was, and tucked into a juicy red apple.

For a few minutes, they ate and drank in silence, until Sairu decided to try and make conversation. "So, why are you training me? You said it would be better for me, but I don't quite understand. And what's this thing you're preparing me for?" Sairu asked, and almost regretted it when Squall looked over at him. For a few seconds, Squall sat in silence before he set his cup of water down and said simply "When we took you in, a number of objects were found with you. One of those happens to be a very unique sword that I've never seen before..." Squall then paused as he noted Sairu's surprised expression before continuing "That's the reason why I'm training you: so that you can use that sword properly, and I felt the sooner we trained you in swordsmanship, the better skilled you would be when that time comes. But, it's still a long way off; just another reason for you to train with me and... her" "Her?" Sairu asked, confused.

Just as he finished that question, the door opened and a woman emerged in the doorway. At first glance, she was strikingly beautiful: long dark-brown hair tied near the ends, dressed in a sleeveless white tank top that exposed her midriff, with a particularly prominent chest area, a black miniskirt with a belt and suspenders. She also sported red and black fingerless gloves that reached to her elbows, red boots and a metal guard on her left elbow. She also wore teardrop-shaped earrings, a heart-shaped face and red eyes that shone with kindness and strength. The sight of her made Sairu gasp at first glance, and suddenly, his face felt really warm as he couldn't stop staring at her face. When she noticed this, she simply gave him a sweet smile; that froze Sairu on the spot, his face a deep red almost the same as her eyes.

"Ah, you made it. Thanks for coming" Squall said, rising to his feet and doing a series of stretches as he approached her. The woman then proceeded to look Sairu over, which caused Sairu to stand to attention. When she finished she turned to Squall and said "Well, at least he's able to stand up without support" Tifa Lockhart joked, with a short chuckle. "Still, by the time I'm done with him, he'll be more than a match for anyone his own age" she then stated determinedly before turning back to face Sairu, face still red. "Hope you're ready, Sairu" she stated calmly, a mischievous smirk upon her pretty face. Sairu could only nod as she spoke, but it did not go unnoticed as she then stated "Cat got your tongue? You know you can talk to me. Well then, let's get started" Tifa said and, then rose her fists into a fighting stance, at which Sairu could only gulp in horror.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That evening, after dinner, Sairu was practically crawling to the living room. His body was covered from head to toe in bruises; Aerith had tended to them, so they didn't hurt as much as they did when his session was over; his face was also still red from embarrassment at training with a woman who was not only pretty but quite strong too, so his face was a peculiar blending of black, blue and red. Nevertheless, he was exhausted beyond all expectations, and Squall thankfully gave him a full day to recover. What's more, despite it only having been one session, Sairu's agility and stamina had improved considerably, but the drawback was the fatigue he now experienced.

Just as he sat down on the sofa, however, he heard a knock and Aerith calling to say she would answer. She opened the door to find a familiar face: Even, from the park yesterday. He didn't seem to be in good spirits as he bore a look of utter frustration. "May I help you?" Aerith asked politely. Even acknowledged her with a curt nod of the head and responded "Yes, as much as I hate to admit it, I come with a message for young Sairu, from his dear friend Ienzo" "I see. Sairu! Someone's here to see you" Aerith then called and Sairu exasperatedly walked to the front door, where he saw the imposing figure of Even towering over him, his face scrunched into annoyance, as if the task was beneath him. Noticing his bruises with an observer's eye, he then spoke "Sairu, I take it. Ienzo has kindly asked you to meet with him in the park tomorrow morning at eleven o'clock sharp" Then noting the manner in which Sairu's multicoloured face lit up, Even easily determined the boy's decision. "I trust that your expression is an affirmative response" As Sairu confusedly nodded his head, Vexen sighed, exasperatedly and stated "Very well. I shall tell him you accept the invitation. Tomorrow at eleven, please don't forget". And with those final words, Even took his leave.

As Aerith closed the door behind them, she saw Sairu's hopeful face, knowing what he was about to ask. "Can I go? Please, please, please?" Sairu asked excitedly. Aerith could only chuckle at his sudden change in mood. "Sure. I'll be nearby if you need me for anything" Suddenly, Sairu gratefully ran at her and hugged her tightly, which Aerith gratefully returned. "Now, go brush your teeth and get ready for bed, ok?" Aerith then asked, to which Sairu let go of her and excitedly nodded, running upstairs in a flash of lightning. Aerith could only smile in pride, glad that he finally had a friend his own age.

"_That was a tough day with all that training in swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat, but what made it strange at that time was the dream I had: I didn't know who those two men were, but deep inside, I guess I felt that they must be important people. What I cursed about this was that Tifa, as great a teacher as she was, it was where I began to feel awkward around beautiful women, but since being with Naminé, who herself was very pretty, I think that I'll cope better next time... Then again, maybe not."_


	4. First Union

Chapter 4- First Union

Sairu woke up the next morning bright and early, and after a hasty breakfast, and Aerith dressing the last of his wounds, Sairu and Aerith decided to leave. Checking her watch, Aerith was relieved they were on time and noticed Sairu looking all around until to his ten o'clock, he noticed the familiar lab coat and indigo hair. With a final wave, Aerith decided to take her leave to a nearby bench, where she settled down and brought out a sketchbook from the hamper she carried, her emerald eyes falling upon a particular patch of flowers of differing colours.

Meanwhile, Sairu caught up with Ienzo. "Heya" Sairu exclaimed to which Ienzo sighed exasperatedly. "I know we're outside, but keep it quieter next time, alright?" Ienzo stated bluntly with a wagging finger at which Sairu could only groan. "Oh, ok" Sairu stated, hunched over in disappointment until he lifted his head and smiled. "By the way, what happened to you? Your face is covered in bruises and that plaster on your cheek" Ienzo asked, concerned yet intrigued.

"Oh, I was training yesterday. Martial arts, and swords" Sairu explained to which Ienzo could only nod in understanding. "So, what do you want to do?" Sairu asked Ienzo. After a few minutes of contemplation, Ienzo then spoke "Let's be scientists in a lab. I'll be the scientist, you be my monster" "Huh? I don't get why I'm the monster. I'm pretty smart, too" Sairu pouted, to which Ienzo could only chuckle. "But like a monster, you make so much noise. If anything, you'd be the best monster I've ever created" After processing Ienzo's counter-argument, Sairu could only nod confusedly. "Thanks?"

After several minutes of scientists and monsters, they then decided to try hide and seek, followed by rousing games of chess (in Ienzo's mind at least), Sairu losing five times in a row much to his chagrin, then a series of races to a tree and back. After running and the two boys collapsing on the ground, Sairu suddenly burst out laughing as he laid there, at which Ienzo could only join in. "Why are we laughing?" Ienzo then asked, completely confused. Sairu could chuckle and responded "Because I never had so much fun before, not with anyone else" "I see. That explains a great deal" Ienzo said, smiling as they gazed up at the sky. Sairu then noticed thin, wispy clouds streaking up the otherwise clear pink sky, and as Sairu followed his gaze to the tip of the cloud, he then rose to a sitting position and saw a scene that he instantly reviled: two children about their age, a boy standing over a girl who was kneeling on the ground, crying. "Hey, look over there" Sairu then said, gaining Ienzo's attention who then witnessed the same scene.

"Looks like that girl is being picked on by that boy. And he's got something in his hand" Ienzo noted, and after a second glance, noticed that Ienzo was right: in the boy's hand, they noticed an object attached to a string, which they could only guess was a necklace. "You think he took that from her?" Sairu then asked. "Most likely. We'd better tell the nearest grown-up" Ienzo stated as he rose to his feet, brushing off dead grass and dust off his back and front. Sairu rose to his feet doing the same and stated "We'll have to do it" Hearing this, Ienzo's head swiftly turned to his friend, stupefied by his statement. "What are you talking about? The safest course of action is to inform an adult nearby so they can deal with it. It will cause minimal harm at least" Ienzo reasoned, but Sairu's defiant gaze showcased his refusal. "Maybe, but there's not enough time. If he's got her necklace, he'll leave soon, then it'll be too late. We have to do it; even if we fight them, we can get it back, no problem" Sairu countered determinedly and immediately tore off towards them, with Ienzo sighing exasperatedly as he ran after him.

As she kneeled there crying, the boy standing over her sniggered spitefully and began to walk away until he heard a voice scream out to him. "Stop!" Sairu exclaimed as he skidded to a halt in front of him. The boy in question was quite scrawny-looking with long black hair, dressed in a long-sleeved red T-shirt, blue jeans and black and white trainers. Ienzo came to a stop behind the boy and in front of the girl. "What do you want, huh? Scram. I'm done here" "That necklace in your hand does not belong to you. Return it right now if you want to avoid being punished" Ienzo calmly stated, eyeing the boy coldly. "Take a hike, you babies. It's not your problem" "Well, we're making it our problem" Sairu stated gazing at the boy hatefully, fists raised. Seeing this, the boy sniggered and rapidly threw a punch at Sairu's face, but to everyone's surprise, Sairu's arms, in a cross, blocked the blow. As he lowered his arms, Sairu noticed the boy throw another punch for his face, but instead, Sairu quickly ducked under and ran to him.

Thinking that he was going to headbutt him in the stomach, the boy quickly stepped back, trying to avoid him, but suddenly, found that he couldn't move. It turned out that he stepped too far back and Ienzo restrained his arms, and at the same time, saw that the necklace in his left hand was gone. As Ienzo turned them both around, he saw, to his surprise, that Sairu stood near the girl with the necklace in his right hand. Sairu had, unexpectedly, to himself more than anyone, timed it close enough to take the necklace out of the boy's grip when he was momentarily confused as to why he was restrained. After this, he turned to face the girl who had stopped crying, enthralled by the events that unfolded around her, her gaze now focused on Sairu in front of her, who gave her a wide triumphant grin as he passed the necklace back to her, at which she smiled and gently accepted it, placing it around her neck again. Afterwards, Sairu and Ienzo made the briefest of eye contact, and with a single nod from Sairu, Ienzo let the boy go, who looked at Sairu with gritted teeth and outrage before making a particularly crude hand gesture and fled. In a matter of seconds, the boy was round the corner, out of sight, but yet to be out of mind.

"See? I told you we could do it. Grown-ups take too long to do this stuff, you know" Sairu stated cockily, with an equally cocky smirk on his face, at which Ienzo eyed him harshly and retorted "I admit, you made the right choice. But do think things through next time such a thing happens" folding his arms with disdain on his face. Sairu could look at him slack-jawed, and stated furiously "What? Where's my "Well done" or "Nice job?" What do I have to do to get a little appreciation?" Sairu then sighed in frustration as he slouched over. As he rose straight, he then felt something collide into his back, and he noticed it was the girl, wrapping her arms around his chest, hugging him from behind. Naturally, Ienzo watched on confused while Sairu looked at her directly. She was smiling, a gentle, warm smile that made Sairu's face burn crimson and his heartbeat increase rapidly.

"Thanks so much" she stated gratefully as she let Sairu go, so he could turn towards her, his face still crimson, his expression blank. "My name is Kairi. What's your name?" Kairi asked sweetly, but Sairu, unable to think, could only mumble indistinctly at which Kairi could only giggle. Ienzo then approached, standing next to Sairu and stated "I'm sure he'd say 'You're welcome', if he gets his head out of the clouds. But, for now, I am Ienzo; nice to meet you, Kairi. And he is called Sairu, just so you know" Ienzo quipped teasingly as Sairu could only nod his head in agreement, now smiling after his 'session'. Kairi could only giggle in return and for a time, the three stood there in a comfortable silence.

Soon, Sairu broke the silence and said "Hey, is it just me or do I feel really comfortable all of a sudden?" His question seemed to confused ad Sairu braced himself for the ridicule that was sure to follow but to his surprise, Ienzo actually nodded and replied "I can't really describe it, but I feel a calm sensation with the three of us just standing here, in silence" "Me too" Kairi said. Then suddenly, a grumbling noise erupted throughout, startling Ienzo and Kairi, while Sairu's blush returned with a vengeance as he realised it was his stomach making those noises. "Man, I'm hungry" Sairu sheepishly groaned, massaging his stomach. And as if she read his mind, Aerith suddenly returned to them, hamper in hand. "Good thing I made a picnic before we left. Would you two like to join us?" Aerith asked, addressing the other two politely; Ienzo and Kairi nodded their heads and settled down on a nearby bench with Sairu and Aerith and the feast began.

After everyone had eaten and drank their fill, Kairi decided she wanted to play (much to their horror) kiss chase, but they were simply too fast for Kairi and outran her every time, then decided to try hide and seek again (Ienzo proved the most difficult to find; it once took Sairu and Kairi a full hour to notice he hid under a bush they passed again and again). Finally, they all decided to relax and lay in the grass, watching clouds together for the rest of the afternoon, yet they soon fell asleep, exhausted from all the running around at which Aerith had a wonderful idea and reached for her sketchbook. Around an hour later, she jostled each of them gently. "Want to see something special?" she asked teasingly at which three small heads nodded eagerly, and Aerith opened her sketchbook to what they thought was the best drawing they had ever seen. It was the three of them, lying under the clear pink sky and the afternoon sun, sound asleep. Each of them were astounded; Ienzo gave his biggest grin yet, Kairi gasped at how pretty it all was, and Sairu's jaw had simply fallen open, too shocked for words.

Just then, they heard footsteps behind them, and an elderly, slightly hunched woman approached, dressed in purple with a white apron and brown shoes, and her grey hair tied in a large bun. "There you are, Kairi, dear! Time to go home for supper, sweetheart" she said sweetly, at which Kairi nodded somewhat reluctantly before turning back to her new friends. "Okay. Sorry, I have to go. Grandma, these are my new friends, Sairu and Ienzo" she replied, gesturing to each one in turn. "Nice to meet you, ma'am" Ienzo and Sairu said at the exact same time, which surprised them but Kairi's grandma merely chuckled "My, such sweet boys. Are they yours, dear?" she asked, turning in Aerith's direction, who responded "Only Sairu, ma'am. But, it looks like they all had a good time, even Kairi. I'm sure we can arrange something in future for them" taking note of how Sairu's face lit up at the prospect, Ienzo merely smiled, whilst Kairi looked ready to explode with excitement.

"Of course. These boys are simply wonderful friends for dear Kairi; it would be my pleasure" she replied. "It would be my pleasure also" a new voice spoke as they approached. They soon saw it was a man dressed in a white lab coat not unlike Ienzo, a collared shirt with a purple ascot, black trousers, sensible black shoes and a large, red shawl draped over his shoulders. His hair was long, blonde and straight, with a moustache and goatee of the same, with amber coloured eyes filled with wisdom and kindness. To Ienzo, he was his protector and friend; to everyone, he was Ansem the Wise, the wise, benevolent ruler of Radiant Garden, a renowned researcher and former sage. "So at last, I get to meet the boy who has finally brought Ienzo some real happiness" he spoke politely looking in Sairu's direction, who had frozen in surprise. Sairu knew who he was, but never thought he'd meet with him face to face.

"Hmm... it seems Even somewhat misinformed me. He called you rather unruly and scruffy. But his assessments, whilst perfectly reasonable, were unfounded. Sairu, I take it" With those words, he then knelt down to meet Sairu's brown eyes with his amber ones, an utterly serene smile adorning the man's features. "I have been watching you, Ienzo and your new friend enjoy yourself today and it is apparent to me that you are the kind of friends he needs. And, also, know that you are always welcome at the palace as our honoured guests. Does that sound good to you?" he asked, at which Sairu, finally having processed everything Ansem the Wise had said, eventually responded "Y-yes, sir. I'd like that very much", finishing with a beaming smile that warmed the tender heart of Ansem who responded with a smile of his own. After this, he turned to Ienzo and spoke in a fatherly manner "It is time for us to go, Ienzo. But you are free to meet with your friends when you so wish. Just be sure to inform Even in an appropriate amount of time" he finished with a ruffle of Ienzo's hair and offered his hand, which Ienzo gladly took. Before turning away, he gave Sairu and Kairi a smile and a wave of his free hand, too elated to actually speak. After his friends return with waving hands of their own, Ienzo and Ansem proceed on their way, out of sight.

After this exchange, Kairi hugged Sairu goodbye before running back to walk with her grandma and she gave him a last wave before they took their leave. For a moment, Sairu stood there, completely transfixed by the day's events. He stood there for so long, it took Aerith clasping his shoulder to snap him out of his trance. "Looks like you've got yourself a girlfriend, Sairu" Aerith quipped teasingly, but Sairu seemed confused. "Girlfriend? Well, she's a girl and she's my friend, I guess. So yeah, I guess so?" Aerith simply couldn't take it anymore, and exploded into uncontrollable giggles. "What's so funny? What?" he asked. "Oh, nothing. You'll find out when you're older" Aerith said, wiping away a tear before recomposing herself. "Ready to go home?" she asked. "Yeah" Sairu responded affirmatively and took Aerith's hand in his own, heading for home at the end of a perfect day.

"_Kairi... this was where we first met, where I saved her necklace being stolen. It was probably here that we all felt something, that strangely comforting sensation. Looking back, it must have been that we belonged together, that we were meant to be friends, then and forever. Not to mention, I met Ansem the Wise, a man who was loved by his people and he loved them back. Hard to believe what he would do in future. Then again, none of us could have predicted what would happen in time, when he came along, some days after today..."_


	5. Monsters and questions

Chapter 5- Monsters and questions

For the next month or so, not a day went by when Sairu couldn't smile. Every day, the three friends gathered, whether at the park or even at the palace, which took some persuading palace guards, Dilan and Aeleus, to allow them entry until Even informed them of his Lordship's request to allow Sairu and Kairi entry, where they even heard of some of the research projects that Even and Ansem conducted, although Sairu always left with a dazed expression, unable to comprehend all that they did all day. It didn't help that Ienzo couldn't explain it in simpler terms, merely quoting them. During the month, they also met some of the palace guards, including a scrawny yet sharp-eyed guard, Braig, and while no one was overtly fond of him, Sairu especially unsettled in his presence, though the reason was never established.

After a harmonious month, however, something began happening: people were out less and less, and whenever they were, they stuck together in a group, looking around cautiously. At first, Sairu didn't know what was going on, until Cid stated there was a rumour of strange creatures running amuck throughout the whole town, and that Ansem had installed a temporary shelter for all citizens who were too scared to stay home or unable to defend themselves. Sairu at first didn't pay much attention, having heard rumours weren't always true, but once he clapped eyes on one, he knew why everyone was on such high alert. It was a alarming sight: a navy blue vaguely humanoid form, with pointed arms and legs, no distinctive fingers or toes, a triangular head with two horns shaped like lightning bolts and red eyes that expressed anger. Though it was only one, the citizens had a tough time keeping just one away.

In response to this threat, Squall, Yuffie, Cid and Aerith decided to track the source of these creatures, and left on a lead: somewhere, in the outskirts of the city, a boy wearing a mask had set up base with legions of the creatures at his beck and call. Though he highly doubted that, they decided to check it out, but because of Sairu, they had to leave him with Kairi's grandma, who with Kairi, were probably safest from those creatures. They lived in a rather quaint old-fashioned one-storey white cottage, with a thatched roof, and a beautiful garden that surrounded the cottage filled with an expansive lawn, and flowers of every colour surrounded the lawn, as a sort of defence it seemed. Sairu enjoyed it there; Kairi's grandma was very sweet and caring, and was incredibly gifted as a cook, and after some persuasion, Sairu learned to cook some simple things, where he discovered he was rather competent. Even Kairi was impressed with how well he cooked and she had said more than once how she was rather worried at the thought.

After having stayed with them for a week, it seemed that the onslaught of creatures would never end; although there weren't hundreds at once, they were consistent all the same. Ansem's personal guard had been dispatched to keep the creatures away from the citizens and they struggled through each hour, on high alert. And in that time, neither Sairu nor Kairi were permitted to meet with Ienzo for their own safety. Whilst they were both distraught, Kairi came round to her grandma's decision, but Sairu was especially highly strung without his family or his best friend around. And in the end, when Kairi decided to pick flowers out by the palace gardens, Sairu realised he couldn't stand it anymore, and without even thinking, Sairu ran when they were on their way, just. Thankfully, having Yuffie as a sister had its advantage: she taught him how to silently slip out to ensure a quick escape. Quickly turning a corner, Sairu looked back and noticed surprisingly, they hadn't seen or heard him and as he emerged in the fountain court, he quickly ran to the Central Square, until a wave of the creatures appeared.

This made Sairu's face turn ghostly white, and his body became abruptly statuesque, paralyzed with unfathomable fear. Then, as he looked into their red eyes, he was reminded of his training with Squall and Tifa, and quickly threw out an unbelievably fast punch at the centre mort creature, which sent it reeling but its fellow monsters took it as a sign to fight, and quickly circled around Sairu. Noticing how he was outnumbered near ten to one, his bolstered confidence vanished faster than a flash of lightning, and fear controlled him. He soon found himself breaking down, tears suddenly streaming down his face, his pale face breaking out in a cold sweat.

Suddenly, all of the creatures decided to lunge at him at the same time, and as Sairu curled into a ball, screaming "HELP!". Then, an unfamiliar voice called out "It's going to be OK!" And in a ring of dark smoke, all the creatures were suddenly gone, and in their place, next to the now kneeling yet still crying Sairu, stood a young man. He was quite tall, with brown hair adorned with messy, vertical spikes and bangs that frame his face with blue eyes and slightly tan complexion. He wore a skin tight, high-collared short sleeved black shirt with intersecting red straps over his chest. His trousers were a pair of hakama coloured tan primarily while the midriff was a dark grey with two undone buttons and a black belt. He also sported a black wristband on his right arm, and in his right hand was a strange-looking weapon that looked like a skeleton key. His left arm, however, was almost completely covered in armour of some description, a pauldron on his upper left arm coloured dark grey, gold and red that reached all the way down to the forearm connected to some sort of gauntlet which was coloured dark red and sported a black fingerless glove on his left hand and wore dark brown and gold armoured boots. But his most striking feature was the emblem on his belt, which Sairu realized was the same symbol on his pendant.

As the young man looked and knelt down next to the boy, he took note of how scared the boy looked, and gave him a ruffle of the hair with a reassuring smile. "It's okay, they're gone now" he said, and as he rose, Sairu stood up again. He eventually wiped the excess tears and looked up at his saviour "Thank you. But... what are those things?" Sairu asked, confused. At first, he seemed unsure how to answer but after thinking it over he responded "They're trouble, but my friend and I are taking care of them. You don't have to worry; I'm sure those things can be stopped" with a reassuring smile, which reminded Sairu of something. "You know, my brother said something like that and he's gone to find the source, or something like that" Sairu responded, thinking of his brother the whole time and couldn't help but think they looked something alike and acted alike. "Oh, you can call me Terra by the way" Terra introduced himself. "Thanks a lot, Terra. I'm Sairu. Oh, what is that, on your belt? I know that sign" Sairu asked pointing to the buckle on Terra's belt.

"What? What do you mean?" Terra then asked at which Sairu could only shrug and began to reach into his shirt. 'Something's not right. Master Eraqus said no one should know about the outside world. But how does this boy even know what this symbol is? Did Aqua tell him? Not likely, she's more sensible than that. Ven, maybe? He's too good-natured to hide anything, but he can be sensible when he needs to be. What is going on?' Terra thought to himself, and noticing that Sairu was reaching into his shirt for something. To his surprise, Terra found that the necklace he was wearing depicted the same symbol as his belt: the symbol of a Keyblade Master. "Where did you get that?" Terra asked politely, looking at it intently. Sairu meanwhile was getting nervous as he noticed Terra's gaze, and hesitantly yet honestly answered "M-my brother gave it to me a while ago. Don't know where it came from, really". Hearing this, Terra could only nod in understanding, but he was boggled: 'Who would break the world order like that? And why did they? Maybe Master Eraqus knows something. Still, to be safe...' "If it's all right, Sairu, may I take a look? I promise I'll give it back" he admitted at which Sairu reluctantly nodded and took it off and gave it to him, which Terra carefully took and examined it. As he proceeded to look over it, an image suddenly flashed into his mind: Master Eraqus.

After examining it for a while, Terra was still confused as to why or how this boy and his Master were connected in some way. 'While this child has seen this symbol, I doubt he would know what it would mean, but I still have to preserve the world order. Well, it can't hurt to leave it here, I'm sure of that'. Just as he finished contemplating what to do, he then saw that the boy had his head drooping down, looking at the ground. "What's wrong, Sairu?" Terra queried, concerned. "It's just... I was so scared, I just froze. Yet, with my brother training me all the time, I thought I could fight. But... I can't do anything. How can I receive that when I'm always afraid?" Terra seemed confused by that last remark, but he could understand where Sairu was coming from, having once felt the same way.

At this, Terra knelt down and brought Sairu's face level to his, and, clasping his shoulder gently, smiled "I'm going to tell you something interesting. Some of the bravest warriors who became famous were actually afraid, just like you were. That's because everyone, no matter who it is, is afraid of something, and it's because of being afraid that we should keep fighting; if you're afraid, then that means you are truly strong at heart, if you admit you are afraid. If you ask me, I would be surprised if you weren't afraid of those monsters. Just remember, we all fear something, but it's because of that that you should never give up; your fear can make you stronger" As he finished his speech, he then replaced the necklace around Sairu's neck and ruffled his hair again. Sairu, all the while dumbfounded by Terra's words, gave him the biggest smile he could muster as Terra rose to his feet again and prepared to leave. "Hey, Terra" Sairu called after him, at which Terra turned back to face him, wondering what he wanted. "Will I see you again?" Sairu called, hopefully.

Terra was naturally unsure how to answer that, but he admitted he would be happy to see Sairu again, and responded "Well, I don't know for sure, but I'm certain we will. Next time I see you, I hope you won't cry again" "Hey" Sairu countered, irked at Terra's joke, which earned a chuckle from Terra before he gave one last wave and ran off up the stairs. Once Terra was out of sight, Sairu then noticed something glinting on the steps in the sunlight. As he ran closer, he noticed it was a star-shaped necklace or something like that, made of orange and silver metal, with a golden symbol like the one he and Terra had, and knew it probably belonged to him, but then he noticed, more of those creatures were here, so he quickly picked it up, slipped into his pocket, and hid behind a corner. Sadly, he was forced to remain hidden for some time until those creatures disappeared into the darkness. Knowing that they were gone, Sairu ran up the steps as quickly as possible and after re-emerging in Castle Town, the district that his home stood, where Merlin had taken over now that Squall and the others were still dealing with the 'source'.

Seeing that there was no one around, not even the strange monsters, Sairu guessed that Terra must have gone to Central Square and made off in that direction. As he emerged in said Square, he noticed in the middle, to his relief and confusion, Ienzo and Even were standing talking to someone he never saw before, an older boy with blonde spiky hair, and as he got closer, he noticed the same symbol on his chest, except that his was silver, but he knew he had to start somewhere. "Sir, I'm looking for a friend of mine. He's a tall guy dressed kinda like me- have you seen him?" the new boy asked, at which Even politely responded "Hmm... Perhaps I did see him in the Outer Gardens. Just follow this road" Gesturing to the path on his right. "Thank you" the boy responded gratefully. "No, thank you, for keeping Ienzo out of harm's way" Even responded in an almost humble manner, before he continued "And... Well, let's say I have a feeling we are destined to cross paths again" he added cryptically, which earned him a confused look from the boy.

Before they parted ways, Sairu called out "Wait a minute!". Hearing this, Even, Ienzo and the boy turned to face him, and to Ienzo's surprise, Sairu turned to face the mysterious boy and asked "Your friend- is he called Terra?" "T-Terra?! Yeah, how did you know that?" the boy asked, astounded and curious. "He saved me from those monsters a while ago, and then he ran off and dropped this" and pulled the star-like object from his pocket. The minute he saw it, the boy knew what it was. "Terra couldn't bear to lose this. Thanks, I'll make sure Terra gets this. Oh, I never introduced myself, I'm Ventus, or just Ven is fine" Ven introduced himself at which Sairu nodded and Ven carefully took the Wayfinder from Sairu's hand, nodding his thanks. "I'm Sairu, Terra will know who I am. If I may, what exactly is this?" Sairu asked, curiously.

Hearing that question, Ven could only grin and reaching into his other pocket, revealed his own star-shaped pendant, yet his was coloured green with silver, and a silver symbol at the centre and explained "They're called Wayfinders. There's a legend that says a star-shaped fruit represents an unbreakable connection between people. My other friend, Aqua, she made one for each of us, to show that we'll never be apart, no matter where we go. That's why Terra would be distraught if he found out he lost it. I'll make sure he knows it was you who found it, Sairu. Thanks" And with that, they both smiled at one another, before Ven gave them all a wave goodbye before heading off to the Outer Gardens.

"Well, now, as long as you are here, I insist we take refuge at the castle; especially when Kairi and her grandmother are awaiting your return, being considerably worried" Even then explained, upon which Sairu could only gulp in horror, knowing this wouldn't go unnoticed by Squall and the others when they got back. "What do you mean, Even?" Ienzo queried, confused at which Even turned to face him and explained bluntly "Sairu ran off when they weren't watching him, and a good thing he had been saved by these new arrivals, Squall and his family would never let them hear the end of this" "Sairu, what possessed you to do that?" Ienzo asked, turning to Sairu. Sairu could only stutter in horror as he responded "W-well, you s-see, I was worried about y-you but I-I couldn't find you" "Sairu, your concern is touching, but not obligatory. With the guards at the palace, I'd have been alright. Now, let us go to the castle" Ienzo replied in the same blunt fashion as his tutor, and the three made their way to the castle, Sairu knowing he was in big trouble.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, Ven sees Terra ahead, and excitedly calls out "Terra!" Hearing his name being called, Terra distractedly turned his head in Ven's direction. Once Ven approached him, he then asks him "Take me with you" Hearing his request, Terra could only turn away in shame and responded sombrely "I can't do that, Ven" Hearing this, Ven's high spirits crashed down to earth, and asked depressingly "Why not?" Terra could only bite his lip as he tried to piece his response until he then said "I just... When I really need you, Ven, I know you'll be there" Hearing this, Ven beamed his usual smile and said amiably "Well, why wouldn't I? You're my friend, and this is the proof of that" Reaching into his pocket, he drew out, to Terra's surprise, his Wayfinder. Quickly fumbling in his pocket, he realised it wasn't there.

"When did I-" Terra started to say, but Ven light-heartedly interrupted "Sairu said he found it when you saved him from the Unversed, and kept it safe until he could find you. But since he found me first, I brought it for him" Hearing this, Terra smiled gratefully at Sairu's gesture towards him and pocketed his Wayfinder. "You know... that boy is kind of unusual" "Huh? Sairu? Seemed like a regular kid to me" Ven rebuffed, baffled by Terra's statement. "Well, I found out that he has a necklace that depicted the Mark of Mastery" Naturally, Ven's confused expression transformed into utter disbelief which Terra took as a sign to continue "I don't know why, but I think... he will be something different for the future; for a Keyblade Master to bequeath him that necklace must mean he's important" "Maybe you're right. But we won't know the future until it comes, right?" Ven then answered, understanding now.

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Ven" Terra finally said, and after activating his armour and summoning his glider, Terra took his leave. Once he was out of sight, something about Terra's words echoed in Ven's head: "_I just... When I really need you, Ven, I know you'll be there"_ "I'd better tell Aqua" With that, Ven proceeded to return to the Central Square, intent on talking to Aqua.

"_That day was the first in a cycle of despair for the Radiant Garden. With the arrival of the Blue Horror, as locals dubbed them, many people would be hesitant to leave their homes or the safety of the palace for months on end, even after the creatures vanished. That day, for me, was my first real experience of fear and catastrophe, and neither Squall, Aerith, Cid nor Yuffie were there to help me, but that's what I owe that Terra guy for. He was the one who inspired me to fight for whatever was important to me, a lesson I cherish until this day, the same example I passed on to Riku when he went to confront the darkness inside. I just hope I can wake up soon, fear is just another obstacle we will have to face. Together, we'll vanquish the fear the Organization brings with them"._


	6. Revelations

Chapter 6- Revelations

After his encounter with Sairu and Master Xehanort, respectively, Terra decides to take a detour back home, to answer questions that refused to fade from his mind. Why did Sairu have that pendant, a Mark of Mastery for a Keyblade wielder, and who was responsible for leaving it with him? Realising that hypothesising was getting him nowhere, and given what that pendant had shown him, Terra came to the conclusion that Master Eraqus held the answers to his questions.

The Land of Departure, the haven among worlds where the forces of light and darkness existed in mellifluous harmony, was a single castle atop many grass-covered hilltops, which in turn were surrounded by flowing crystal clear water. The castle in question was connected to spires that increased in width at the upper recesses and the castle was connected to two symmetrically aligned hilltops by lengths of golden chains. The sky was its usual light blue colour as Terra set foot on the courtyard outside the entrance. After dismissing his armour and Keyblade Glider, Terra then began to approach and enter the castle's throne room, a wide hall, where three elaborate thrones stood in unison, and sitting on the left hand throne, was Master Eraqus, who had seemingly entered a meditative state, until, he noticed his pupil approaching, which surprised and confused him at the same time.

"Terra? May I ask why you are here? Has your quest come to an end already?" Eraqus queried paternally, rising from his throne and approaching the pupil who was like a son to him. "No, Master. But I returned to ask you something about something I came across on my travels" "Ask away, my boy. I am certain I can answer your questions" Eraqus responded benevolently, to which Terra nodded and proceeded to explain "When I had arrived in the city of light, Radiant Garden, I came across a boy under attack by the Unversed. Naturally, I destroyed them, and became acquainted with the boy. I understand that this may not seem unusual, but the boy in question was familiar with the symbol of our order. In fact, he wore the Mark of Mastery around his neck, a golden symbol of a Keyblade Master"

Hearing this shocked Eraqus, as he understood and knew who it was that Terra encountered, and Terra, seeing his master's faltering composure, gave him a questionable glance. Terra's concern only deepened when he noticed his master return to the throne, and closed his eyes, a single tear trailing down his cheek. After a time that seemed to echo eternity, Eraqus opened his eyes and spoke at long last "Forgive me, Terra. But it is fortunate you informed me of this when you did. I knew that I would have to explain this to you, Ventus and Aqua when the time was right. But it seems as if the moment has arrived earlier than I had anticipated" "What do you mean, Master? Do you know the boy? He said his name was Sairu, I believe" Terra then added, at which Eraqus rose his head and locked his grey eyes with Terra's blue eyes, a serious expression that would have made Yen Sid proud.

"Yes. I am very well acquainted with young Sairu. For you see, shortly after I had taken you and Aqua in as my apprentices, you will recall that I had to depart for an important affair that lasted approximately six days. It was to attend a momentous occasion for very dear friends of mine. Lord Getsuryu and Lady Siaren, of the kingdom of Freiatos, were due to give birth to their child, who in turn would become my godson. Sairu... is that child" Hearing this, Terra's expression of curiosity exploded into shock at the story he was hearing. "On the night that Sairu was born, pure happiness and utter devastation defined that night, for whilst the birth of a child is a common yet momentous occasion in a parent's life, Sairu's mother, Lady Siaren, had passed away owing to complications of childbirth, leaving Lord Getsuryu severely heartbroken. For the next five days, I remained at his and young Sairu's side, especially when a civil war had been quelled within the boundaries of Freiatos and an armistice signed a full week before his birth, leading many to believe factions that survived would make an attempt on his life. This meant that young Sairu was likely at risk if knowledge had leaked of his birth.

"For a time, it seemed that our fears were unprecedented, until, suddenly, on the fifth day, creatures of purest darkness swarmed like a plague, and regretfully, many lost their hearts to the darkness. Whilst I contended with these foul creatures, Getsuryu was confronted by one of his subordinates who betrayed him and had formed an alliance with a wandering stranger, and stole not only Getsuryu's position, but his secrets. You see, Getsuryu was a powerful, accomplished sorcerer, who excelled at magic concerned with time travel, a feat that none before had accomplished, which was why the civil war had raged at all. I never imagined anyone outside of the world of Freiatos was aware of his prowess except a select few, including Yen Sid and myself. In any case, both men attained what they desired and Getsuryu decided to face the foul creatures himself, believing it was his sworn duty as a denizen of his world to try, but his efforts were all in vain... Freiatos had fallen, not a single survivor, except for Sairu.

"Getsuryu entrusted me with Sairu in his final moments and left with no alternative, I took my leave with him in my arms, returning to Yen Sid's tower. Even to this day, the sheer trauma still lingers in my heart; I tried to take the boy back here to raise as a godfather should" At which, Terra then realised something: "If that is true, then why is it he was never brought back here? What's more, why did you never tell us about this?" he questioned aloud, at which Eraqus could only turn away, face shrouded in shame and regret. "Because my duties as a Keyblade Master were to train you to protect this world, and to protect yourselves. If Sairu had returned with me, my attention would have been constantly diverted for his sake. Doing so, I imagine that your training would have suffered and you would never have taken the Mark of Mastery when you did. It would have been unfair on you as my pupils, even with your assistance in raising him" Eraqus explained, turning back to face Terra with a strong conviction in his eyes.

"Despite these faults in my design, I wanted nothing more than to take the boy with me, but it was Yen Sid who convinced me he would be as safe from the darkness in Radiant Garden as he would be here. Furthermore, the incident of having lost my dear friend to the darkness is the reason I could not permit you to ascend to the rank of Master: that incident opened my eyes to the truth, that darkness is nothing but evil that seeks to destroy the delicate balance in the world. That is why I hope you will overcome the darkness inside you, Terra, so that you do not meet the same fate as Getsuryu and his people; I could never endure such torment again" "Then the fact that he is your godson, your family, is the reason why you left the pendant with the boy, right? You wanted to leave him with a piece of you until the day you could bring him here and raise him for real" Terra then stated, deeply touched by his master's concern for him.

"I see you discovered that, which is why I have a request: Terra, even though I have entrusted Aqua as the next protector of this land, I entrust you with the task of maintaining a vigil over Sairu. The boy will trust you after you saved him from the Unversed, which is why, in the event of my passing, I want you to take Sairu with you to train him further" "Train him further? Come to think of it, Sairu mentioned how his brother had been training him" Terra remembered what the boy said in his anguish. "Yes, for you see, with my devotion to the boy's well-being, I instilled a fraction of my heart within the pendant and left it with Sairu. Through this, by merely concentrating, I can experience what Sairu experiences, so I am well aware of what his brother has done for him. It eases my heart to see he is happy and kind, but he is reckless, a lot like his father in his youth. Either way, I have answered your questions; I entrust you with his well-being when I cannot" "I understand, Master, I promise he will be kept safe" Terra assured his master, who nodded with a sincere smile upon hearing this.

With a final nod of confirmation, Terra turned to leave, and returned outside, taking off to continue his journey. After he was gone, Eraqus returned to the throne, sat down and closed his eyes, images of the past flashing in his mind, particularly certain friends of his. _'I hope you're watching this, Siaren... Getsuryu. Your son is happy, despite all that he encountered at such a young age. Reckless as he may be, he is kind, and I know he will become a great young man. Until the day when I see you, my boy, be safe and rejoice.'_


	7. Nightmares

Chapter 7- Nightmares

Following his escapade with the Blue Horror near a week ago, when Squall, Aerith, Cid and Yuffie returned from their investigation, they were greatly vexed by Sairu's reckless and immature behaviour. Seeing that their lead was nothing but speculation, the four of them returned to the city greatly let down with lack of progress, and their already sullen mood was made even more so with what Sairu did, running off on his own. Thankfully, they decided to let it go, considering he did it for the sake of a friend, but he wasn't off scot-free either; Squall's training sessions were made even more intense than they were before they left, and his martial arts with Tifa were not faring any better; the agony he felt at the end of each of them was excruciating, the first session seeming like just a cut compared to this last session. Every day, Sairu was made to train endlessly, only stopping for a bathroom break or food, but nothing else.

At the end of the week, however, it all came to an end, and as a reward for not complaining once (when they were with him, at least), Sairu was permitted to bring Ienzo and Kairi over to play indoors, as the Blue Horror were still around, like an endless plague of locusts. He gave them both a tour of the house, and introduced them to his family. This proved to have an unexpected boon for Sairu and Kairi, as when the former introduced Yuffie to him, Ienzo couldn't help but stare at Yuffie, utterly mesmerised at her presence, and noticing the blush on his cheeks, Sairu and Kairi couldn't help but burst into hysterics, when they saw what they did. Yuffie, being clueless for the most part, gave Sairu a noogie to silence him. After this awkward encounter, they took refuge in Sairu's bedroom, a plain simple room, with a stack of books on a shelf, a desk opposite his bed, which was situated under the window, with navy blue sheets adorned with millions of stars. Here, Sairu and Kairi finally got some payback on Ienzo, constantly teasing him for what happened with Yuffie, and making kissy faces much to his utter chagrin.

When the day ended, after staying for dinner, Even and Kairi's grandma arrived to take the children home, and after bidding them goodnight, with a hug from Kairi and a firm handshake from Ienzo, the three friends went separate ways. Sairu suddenly felt incredibly drowsy for some reason and decided to retire to bed early. As soon as he brushed his teeth, changed into his pyjamas, and crawled under the covers, Sairu fell asleep within a matter of minutes. However, as he laid sound asleep, the pendant around his neck began to give off a flickering glow, a white light that pulsated with darkness; Sairu too was experiencing something similar. In his dream, Sairu was in a black void of some sorts and ahead of him, the man with black hair in a high top-knot was clutching his chest in agony, a different giant key- like sword (compared to the one he had seen with Terra) in his right hand.

He looked to be saying something, a remorseful expression covering his scarred face, But Sairu couldn't make out any of what he was saying, and suddenly noticed that the man was now on his knees, his key-sword clattering to the ground behind him, but before he completely hit the ground, his form was surrounded in a light and then disappeared altogether. It was then that Sairu suddenly felt agonizing pain in his chest, and noticed that the pendant's rope had broken and fell from his neck, colliding with the ground with a clatter that echoed loudly. Confused and horrified, Sairu began to clutch his chest, drowning in fear, until he saw a new figure, but unlike the previous figures, the sight of him offered no salvation: an elderly bald man with tanned skin, a hunched posture, dressed in a white shirt, black trousers and black boots that reached to his knees, a long, black and grey coat and white gloved hands at his side, and, most striking of all, the pure yellow eyes that bore a malicious yet gleeful expression. Locking eyes with the boy before him, his evil snickering filled the void all around them, until Sairu could only scream at the top of his lungs.

The screaming had started in his dream turned nightmare, and ended in his own bedroom, where he had broken into a cold sweat, tears streaming his face, clutching his head in agony, until he noticed the door to his bedroom fly open. Aerith, dressed in a pink dressing gown, raced over to him, and noticing his fearful expression, quickly pulled him into a warm tender embrace, and constantly reassuring the boy he was alright, that it was only a bad dream. As they embraced, Sairu could only cry into her shoulder, saddened beyond afraid, and after they settled down, they decided to head downstairs and make a hot drink. Unbeknownst to them both, the pendant around Sairu's neck had fallen off just like in the dream, lying discarded on his covers.

After a while, the shock of the dream wore off, and Sairu, after having a few sips of tea, was feeling much calmer than he was minutes ago. "Sairu, are you alright? Feeling better?" Aerith queried, worried for him as he had never done this before. Sairu could only nod and respond weakly "Yeah. Thanks, Aerith" at which Aerith nodded in relief, and pulled him closer. "Do you think you can tell me what happened? I promise, no one else will know if you're that scared" she promised sincerely, at which Sairu could only whimper at the prospect, but recalling the last promise someone had made him, Sairu decided to rust his pseudo-sister and prepared to explain.

"Well... I was standing in blackness, and there was this man there. He looked to be in pain, and held some weird-looking sword, almost like a key. Then suddenly, he fell and disappeared in a flash of light. I started feeling pain in my chest when I saw this, and then this other man appeared, but he was..." Sairu trailed off, fear glimmering in his eyes again, knowing that whoever that man was, something inside Sairu screamed he was dangerous. "It's ok. You can tell me, Sairu" Aerith assured him, pulling him into a one-armed hug, much like a mother with their child. "But he was scary. I had never been so scared before; it's like he was what fear itself is afraid of. Just seeing him was too much for me to bear, but I think he was why the other man went away" "Sairu, did this other man you mentioned have the same effect on you? Did he make you afraid?" Aerith asked, curious and concerned.

"No, actually, he made me feel safe. I saw him before, when I trained with Squall for the first time. He was there in the same blackness, and some big man with red hair down to his back was with him. They both made me feel safe, whoever they were. And... I'm scared: what if something's happened to that man for real?" Sairu admitted, unshed tears swimming in his brown orbs. Aerith however, smiled at this last statement and replied "Sairu, don't worry. It was just a dream. They're just pictures in your head, sweetie. None of it was real" and suddenly, she started tickling him under his arms, at which Sairu couldn't help but burst out laughing, Aerith with an amused smirk on her face. "But that was real" she quipped jokingly. After getting his breath back, Sairu's laughter was replaced by the dreading feeling he had before.

"Now, finish your tea, and then go back to bed, okay? Don't worry, I'll only be next door, so come get me if you have another bad dream, okay?" Aerith said. "Okay" Sairu responded cheerily, at which Aerith smiled and planted a kiss on his forehead, before taking her leave and returning to her bedroom. Sairu wasn't too far behind, finishing his tea, and then he found the necklace atop the covers, and after gazing for what seemed forever, Sairu retied it and replaced it around his neck, before getting back under the covers and tried to get to sleep, but he was too afraid inside to try and sleep. Until daybreak, he tossed and turned until eventually, he succumbed to fatigue, and drifted off into a thankfully dreamless, peaceful sleep.

His peace was to be shattered, when he felt someone jostling him awake gently. Cracking one eye open, he noticed it was a fully-dressed Aerith, who then drew the curtains and harsh sunlight blinded him before he rose to a sitting position. Giving off a big yawn, Sairu then turned to Aerith and asked "What's wrong? It's early, isn't it?" "Not too early, only about 10 o'clock. Besides, weren't you going to the park with Ienzo and Kairi today?" Suddenly remembering this, Sairu bolted out of bed into the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and as Aerith left the room, Sairu then got dressed into his usual attire, and ran downstairs to the kitchen, where a plate of toast with bacon and eggs was waiting for him, still piping hot with a glass of cold orange juice. Attacking his breakfast with gusto, Sairu was done in a matter of minutes, much to everyone's surprise, especially Cid, with him mumbling something about growing boys needing food.

"Sairu" Squall spoke over the table to him after he had finished. "While I'm glad to see you have such an appetite in the morning, try and take it easy today with your friends. Aerith told us about last night, and when I decided to check in on you, you were tossing and turning like no tomorrow. I'm not saying you can't hang out with Ienzo and Kairi; just slow down a little, okay?" After hearing this, Sairu was surprised to hear Squall say this, but nonetheless nodded in understanding, and after saying goodbye to everyone, he made for the park.

However, as he drew closer to it, his adrenalin boost evaporated and with every step, it became harder to walk upright, especially considering how hot it was out. Just as he was about to turn back for his sunglasses, he then noticed someone ahead waving at him: Kairi, dressed in her usual clothes too, but was positively glowing, or so he thought. "Hey, Kairi" Sairu said as he gave a wave back and approached her. Seeing his response, Kairi was surprised by his change in attitude: normally, he'd bounce off the walls and yell their names exuberantly, but there was no energy behind his greeting today. He was happy, thankfully, but the fact he wasn't acting usual concerned her. "Hey, Sairu. Are you alright? You seem different today" she enquired, concerned. Sairu only gazed at her confused, and, not feeling comfortable for some reason, lied "I'm ok, just that it's so hot today, I didn't fancy my usual greeting" finishing with a chuckle at which Kairi could only nod in response, albeit half-heartedly.

"Yeah, it is. I know: how about some ice cream?" Kairi asked hopefully, munny burning a hole in her pocket, not that the sun wasn't doing that anyway. "Yeah, I guess, but I saw the line at Mr McDuck's ice cream shop, it's a really long line. But if we hurry, we can get a good space. Let's go" "Yeah" Kairi agreed, and the two of them ran off through an alley that would lead to where Scrooge McDuck had set up his shop, and just as they were about to emerge from the alley, they found their path blocked by two men: one was overweight, dressed in a white vest, trousers and black shoes; the other was dressed in a black polo shirt, khaki green cargo pants, and brown sandals, with slicked back dark brown hair.

"W-What do you want?" Sairu asked cautiously, while Kairi's face suddenly went pale, frozen by fear's ice-cold grip. The two men smirked at this question, and the bald one reached down, grabbed Sairu by the collar of the shirt and raised him to eye level. "I don't think you're in a position to ask questions" And suddenly, he threw Sairu down to the ground, where he skidded until his back crashed into the wall. Sairu tried to get up, but the impact was enough to keep him off his feet. "Stop it! He didn't do anything to you!" Kairi then exclaimed, but the other man merely sniggered and then exclaimed, cracking his knuckles "Can it! This is our business. This kid gave our boys a rough-up. So we're here for them, so beat it or cover your eyes, girlie" At this, Kairi could only gasp in horror and without it even crossing her mind, Kairi ran out of the alley as fast as she could, leaving Sairu all alone.

Sairu, having heard this, was confused as to what they were talking about, but he rose to his feet all the same, defiance in his eyes. "Just like Don said, this kid won't stay down, no respect for folks like us" "Don? Y-Y-You're Donny's d-d-dad?!" Sairu stuttered in horror, and he realised the other man looked kinda like one of Donny's cronies, the one with unkempt brown hair and the sunglasses. "Oh, so you know, huh? Well, you gave our boys quite the ticking-off, so we came to teach you some respect for your superiors, buddy boy" the brown-haired stated, before he approached and gave Sairu a kick upside the face, which caused him to fall to the ground, where the bald one proceeded to kick him repeatedly in the stomach, before grabbing him by his shirt, and throwing him against the wall, causing Sairu to stagger against the wall as he shakily rose to his feet again, despite the bruises forming all over his body, and even a trickle of blood ran down his chin. But before he could prepare to fight back, Bald grabbed his hair and pushed him down with just one shove, and returned to kick his stomach until Sairu regretfully retched over the ground, clutching his stomach in pain.

"That's what you get for injuring our boys, and this" Bald stated, raising a single fist in the air, and about to bring it down on him "is for bumping into us". But as soon as he finished speaking, a loud thud echoed throughout the alley, and he fell forward, and a sickening crack was heard as his head collided with the ground. Sairu, looking up, saw who it was that saved him: A teenage boy with bright red hair, spiked upwards, wearing a yellow keffiyeh scarf around his neck, a white sleeveless shirt under an orange sleeveless jacket, beige cargo pants, and red and white trainers with black socks, and emerald green eyes. Just as he saw his partner hit the ground, the other man grabbed the newcomer, hoping to suffocate him, until another thud rang out and he fell to the ground, out cold.

This time, the boy that saved his friend had bright blue jaw-length hair, the same coloured eyes as his friend, a high-collared short-sleeved navy jacket with light blue stripes running the lengths of the sleeves, and a crescent moon symbol adorning the left breast of his chest, a black undershirt, white trousers, black shoes and a stud piercing in his left ear. Taking note of his companion's grateful grin, he then gestured to the injured Sairu, who seemed unconscious, saying "Let's get going. Once we're out in the open, they can't get us" he stated coolly, while the red-haired boy nodded in agreement, and approached Sairu, draping him over his back, and walking out of the alley. As they did, Sairu then found he was being carried by someone, and noticing he was coming round, the boy turned to face him slightly, with a small smile.

"You okay? Don't worry, those guys won't be coming after you now" he spoke, which relieved the boy in many ways, and then found they re-emerged in the marketplace, where he noticed an anxious Kairi waiting for him. Her anxiety dissolved when she saw that he was alright. As the boy set Sairu on the ground again, he was immediately greeted by a surprisingly crushing hug from Kairi. "Argh, Kairi, that hurts" Sairu declared weakly, but thankfully, she let him go, locking his pained brown eyes with her relieved blue eyes. "Sorry, I'm just glad you're alright. Did they really hurt you that much?" Hearing her concern, Sairu could only give a broad grin and boastfully stated "You should see the other guys; right now, they're taking a little nap" After this, he begins to chuckle until a flick to the forehead silenced him. This time, Kairi, resting her hands on her hip in a fashion that reminded Sairu of Aerith, gave him a disdainful look.

"Don't get too cocky, Sairu. They helped you, I know; you didn't do anything to them" At this, Sairu could only give a look of shame and lowered his head in embarrassment, but quickly gave her a sheepish grin and turned to face his saviours "Hey, thanks a lot for helping me back there, but I'd have taken them" which prompted Kairi to glare disapprovingly at him, while the red-haired boy chuckled and ruffled Sairu's hair "Sure thing, tiger. Maybe you'd have shown them a thing or two, but knocking them out: not gonna happen til you're older, kiddo". Hearing Sairu's growl of disappointment, he decided to introduce himself "Oh yeah, I never gave you my name. It's Lea, got it memorised?" he quipped gesturing to his head with a finger, grinning all the while. "I'm Isa, Lea's friend" the blue-haired boy stated nonchalantly.

"I'm Kairi, nice to meet you" Kairi then added gratefully, curtseying to their new friends, which prompted Lea to bow in good humour, bringing laughter from her and Sairu. "I'm Sairu, got that memorised?" Sairu then added, mimicking Lea's gesture and quote, which earned him a pained look. "Hey, that's my line!" "I don't know. I'd say it suits him better" Isa remarked with a snort, earning him a crestfallen look from Lea, as everyone erupted into uncontrollable laughter. Once the laughter subsided, Lea then noticed that the sign at Scrooge's ice cream shop now read "Sold Out" in bold red letters, and the crowd, disheartened over the news, dispersed. "Well, so much for ice cream. What say we call it a day, Isa?" Lea remarked disappointedly. Isa nodded in agreement, and the two made ready to depart.

"Hey, Lea, Isa!" Sairu suddenly called out to them. "Want to hang out sometime?" Turning back to hear this, both boys simply smiled in return, or in Lea's case, a grin as he answers on their behalf "Sure, anytime. We are friends now, right? Get it memorised, Sairu, Kairi" With a final wave and a "Farewell" from Isa, the boys rounded the corner and disappeared into the square. After they were gone, Sairu and Kairi decided to head home, so Sairu could get his injuries seen to, though it would take some explaining, and both set off.

"_Lea... Isa... Those guys were really something else. They became role models for me, Isa with his cool level-headed demeanour, and Lea with his "Got it memorised" and never-say-die attitude. Actually, I probably never would have picked up my sword when I did, because of Lea selflessly protecting me, and wishing for others to remember him, those were the reasons why I admired him. Thanks to him, I became what I am, and he will be why I become what he and I desire most: to etch our names in the hearts of everyone, forever until the end of time." _


End file.
